This invention relates to a cheese transporting processing apparatus for classifying cheeses wound up by winders or the like in a textile factory into groups of different types, stocking the thus classified cheeses therein and packing the thus stocked cheeses into predetermined styles of packing.
In a textile factory, yarns which have been processed by predetermined working are, in most cases, wound up into cheese-like profiles to facilitate handling at succeeding steps. In order to make such cheeses, a winder for the exclusive use is employed often, but is not a rare case that yarn is wound up directly into a cheese of a predetermined profile by means of a working machine such as a twisting machine or a drawing machine.
Meanwhile, a cheese wound up by such working machine (hereinafter referred to as a winder or winders or the like) is transported to a next step by way of a suitable transporting line. However, if cheeses of yarns of different types are transported in a mixed condition along the transporting line, then many skilled workers are required for the identification, classification or the like of the cheeses. Particularly where productoon of many types in small quantities is popular as in recent years, it is a rare case that yarns of a single type are worked on all of winders or the like, and operation for the classification or the like of cheeses makes an essential step.
Conventionally, such identification or classifiction of cheeses relies upon a hand of a human being. Consequently, the working efficiency is low, and it is difficult, depending upon circumstances of labor or the like, to maintain 24-hour operation of winders or the like. Thus, it is a very serious problem that the production efficiency of the entire factory is very low.
Further, where a next step is to be performed in another factory, cheeses wound up by winders or the like must be packed suitably and then shipped. However, an automated line which classifies cheeses of different types and packs the thus classified cheeses into predetermined styles of packing have not been put into practical use as yet.
On the other hand, while wound up cheeses are transported to a next step by means of a suitable transporting system, a cheese stocker is employed commonly in order to attaiin suitable matching between the production capacity of winders or the like and the processing capacity at the next step.
The cheese stocker can accept and temporarily stock a predetermined amount of cheeses therein and can forward such cheeses therefrom in response to an instruction. An exemplary one of conventional cheese stockers includes a pair of holder rods which are provided for up and down movement on the opposite sides of a long stocking conveyor and to which cheeses transported thereto by way of the stocking conveyor are scooped up and transported so that the cheeses are left as they are and stocked after then. The distance between the holder rods is greater than the width of the stocking conveyor but is smaller than the diameter of a cheese, and a plurality of pairs of such holder rods are provided at several stages in a vertical direction. It is to be noted that when the cheeses are to be transported from the cheese stocker, the holder rods are lowered to transfer the cheeses back to the stocking conveyor, and then the stocking conveyor is operated.
With such a prior art arrangement, cheeses are placed onto the stocking conveyor in such a manner as to make a row and then transported into the cheese stocker. Thus, since cheeses are placed directly onto the stocking conveyor, there is little possibility that an outer surface of a cheese may be damaged mechanically. Then, in order to prevent such possible damage, it is preferable to employ a tray or the like for protection when a cheese is to be transferred to the stocking conveyor, and besides, it is desirable to maintain such condition also after the cheese is transported from the stocking conveyor. However, since such a conventional cheese stocker employs only one fixed stocking conveyor for the transportation of cheeses into and out of the cheese stocker, there is a problem that discharging processing of an empty tray after a cheese is carried in and supplying processing of an empty tray for the carrying out of a cheese are very difficult.